When I put my hand on the rosary. Oh Lord!
My spirit automatically counts three decades for joy.
Thank you, Jesus!
Three intervals follow to take it all in,
breathing in deeply and offering you a smile.
Thank you, Jesus!
The next two decades for sorrow will be hard. Oh comforter!
Even the memory of them makes my spirit shrink.
Pray with me, Jesus!
Is it ok to drop a tear or to sweat blood?
One interval to gather forces,
to continue to be faithful even in challenging circumstances.
Then, five units, consolidating hope over despair. Gloria Patri!
And finally, the cross, the mystery of my salvation.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!
Here might I stay, but you, risen Christ,
bid me to start again!
Something new might be coming in my direction. Amen.
Inspired by Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy: A Consideration of the Rosary by the Revd Neville Ward.